Chapter 547: Retort
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
When they saw Gu Yanran, Gu Nianzhi couldn’t help but to look at the floor number in the elevator. It’s 18… I’m on the right level… The apartments there were built with private elevators, only one unit per level. How could there be another person on this level?
Seeing Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng in the elevator, Gu Yanran looked extremely relieved. “Mr. Huo, is this apartment yours? That’s great! Someone finally came. This apartment really gave me so much trouble!”
Gu Nianzhi was speechless. This apartment was hers. How in the world could Gu Yanran think that it was Huo Shaoheng’s? Fine, Huo Shaoheng paid for it, but he bought it under her name, for her. So technically, it was hers. Thinking along this line, Gu Nianzhi managed to control herself and not correct Gu Yanran. Seeing that Gu Yanran had exited from the elevator, Gu Nianzhi asked, shocked, “Sister, why are you here? How did you manage to come up here?”
Huo Shaoheng emerged from the elevator after Gu Nianzhi. Seeing that she did not correct Gu Yanran’s misunderstanding, he looked at her but did not say a word.
Gu Yanran’s attention returned to Gu Nianzhi. Straightening her bangs, she said exasperatedly, “How else could I have come up? In the elevator, of course.” Then, she flashed her resident card at Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng. “Look, my resident card. I bought the apartment on the 19th floor, but this annoying card brought me to level 18! It wouldn’t take me another level up no matter how I pressed the elevator. I was just about to go back down to look for the management for a good explanation!”
“What? Sister, you bought an apartment here as well?” Gu Nianzhi was more shocked than before and jumped a little. “Why did you think of getting an apartment here?”
“Oh, I have a villa in the suburbs. Bought it last year. I bought this one ’cause dad is here, and I’ve found you, so I wanted to get an apartment in the city so that we’ll all be able to get together more often.” Gu Yanran smiled brightly as she continued, “I didn’t expect to be neighbors with Mr. Huo.”
It was only then that Huo Shaoheng smiled and replied, “This isn’t my apartment.” Turning around, he looked at Gu Nianzhi and gentleness flashed in his jet back eyes. “It’s Nianzhi’s. You sisters are so fated…”
It was Gu Yanran’s turn to be shocked. She looked between Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi before asking, “This apartment… really belongs to Nianzhi?”
“Yes, it’s hers.” Huo Shaoheng hugged Gu Nianzhi by the shoulders and replied politely, “Nianzhi is still young. Miss Gu, as her older sister, please take care of her in the future. We shall not delay Miss Gu in looking for the management to get an explanation.” He led Gu Nianzhi to the door.
Gu Yanran turned to look at them before smiling and waving to Gu Nianzhi. “I’ll leave now, Nianzhi. We’re neighbors, henceforth. I’ll visit you often.” Then, she walked towards the elevator and descended.
Taking out his door key card, Huo Shaoheng opened the door. Gu Nianzhi mumbled non-stop, “What a lousy apartment. Whatever happened to privacy?! Refund! They definitely have to give me a refund!”
Entering the home, Huo Shaoheng looked around before looking through the footage of the CCTV. The footage showed that Gu Yanran was indeed only standing at the elevator and did not attempt to open her door. Of course, no one entered the house. The footage had recorded nothing out of the ordinary. Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief and shook her head. “What a coincidence though, that she bought the apartment directly above me.” Looking up at her ceiling with a chandelier and knowing that Gu Yanran would be walking around above her head, Gu Nianzhi felt uneasy all over.
Huo Shaoheng walked to the kitchen and took out a can of beer. He downed it in one gulp. Looking up at the ceiling, he told Gu Nianzhi, “I’ll have to be away on a mission in two days’ time. Don’t come here to stay, go to the Headquarters if you’re free.” Even though Gu Nianzhi was uneasy, she hadn’t thought of not coming here. She had already personally decorated this apartment nicely and treated this as her second home. How could she just stop coming? Moreover, she and Gu Yanran had the same father. This was a relations.h.i.+p she couldn’t deny.
“After Father wakes up, he’ll most likely be living upstairs. It’ll be easier to help take care of him like this.” Gu Nianzhi followed Huo Shaoheng and took out a bottle of coconut juice. Opening it up, she had a sip of it. The cool and refres.h.i.+ng liquid glided down her throat to her tummy, making her feel way better.
Thinking of Gu Xiangwen, Huo Shaoheng nodded like he understood something. “I’m predicting that your father won’t be able to recover during this period of time. Visit him more at Chen Lie’s and talk to him more. Who knows? Perhaps by doing that, he’ll be able to regain consciousness sooner.”
“Really? How is he already?” Gu Nianzhi placed the unfinished coconut juice back into the refrigerator and looked at the beer in Huo Shaoheng’s hands. “Huo Shao, you like this brand of beer? Is it good?”
Huo Shaoheng raised his hand and threw the beer can into the trash can. “Not bad, but you are not allowed to drink. Remember that you’ll have to be 22 before you’re allowed to.”
“But the legal age to purchase alcohol is 18.” Gu Nianzhi was unhappy. “Why must I wait ’til I’m 22 years old?”
“You’ve really gotten capable.” Huo Shaoheng turned around and put his hands around Gu Nianzhi’s waist. “You dare to retort to what I said?”
Gu Nianzhi hid in his embrace and said lazily, “Of course not… Only Huo Shao would be able to retort. How would I dare to retort to Huo Shao?” Huo Shaoheng’s embrace was warm and stable. It was Gu Nianzhi’s favorite place to be.
Curling his lips, Huo Shaoheng lowered his head and whispered into Gu Nianzhi’s ear, “…Indeed, you only are able to get bullied by me… do you want to get bullied again?”
Gu Nianzhi was speechless. She understood Huo Shaoheng’s intentions and within a short while, she raised her head. She looked at Huo Shaoheng longingly but pushed him away. Biting her lips, she pointed at him accusingly. “I didn’t expect you to be like this, Huo Shao!”
“There are many things you don’t know… Come, let me show you some things that you didn’t expect…” Huo Shaoheng put in some strength and carried her into the room, princess style.
It was another night of never ending war.
When Gu Nianzhi woke up the next day, she realized that she had been sleeping in his embrace the entire night with her head on his shoulders, and he was hugging her like she was his bolster. No wonder she felt that there was something heavy on her back the entire night. It was almost suffocating…
She raised her head quietly but saw that Huo Shaoheng was looking at her without a sound. His eyes were so deep and black, looking extremely sharp. They also looked like black pearls, like the moment he moved them, they’d sparkle.
Gu Nianzhi hugged him like a koala and snuggled up to Huo Shaoheng, kissing his eyes. Huo Shaoheng had already closed his eyes the moment she snuggled up closer to him, allowing her to plant kisses on his eyelids as she wished. Gu Nianzhi’s kisses were fluttery but hot, like the stars reflecting on a lake. The moment the wind blew, the surface of the lake would sparkle excitedly. His heart began to feel excitement once again.
The moment she was done with her kisses, he hugged her gently, caressing her cheeks with his chin. After a night of rest, the stubble on his chin tickled Gu Nianzhi, and she laughed heartily, trying to get away from him, squirming in the sheets.
A man’s hormonal reactions were the strongest when he wakes up in the morning, and that included Huo Shaoheng. For someone who began having physical pleasure after abstaining for a long time and being with the girl he loved, why should he still control himself? Thus, Gu Nianzhi realized that after squirming for a while, he was on top of her, trapping her again…
This time around, it took an even longer time, until Gu Nianzhi almost begged him in tears before he let her go… After that, Huo Shaoheng went to have a shower happily before making his way to the kitchen to make breakfast.
Gu Nianzhi, however, spent a long time in the shower before coming out supporting her back with her hands. This was really too much. However, knowing that Huo Shaoheng was about to leave the country for his mission, and that they wouldn’t be able to have any form of contact until he was back, Gu Nianzhi did not complain.
Being a soldier’s kin, it was normal to have to be in separate lands sometimes. She was prepared for that. Therefore, can I interpret Huo Shaoheng’s pa.s.sion since yesterday as a way to tell me that he can’t bear to leave me? Gu Nianzhi thought dreamily as she went about her skincare routine.
Her reflection showed her looking fair with red lips and a pair of sparkly eyes. She did not look like she had just gone through a series of “vigorous exercises…” Except for her sore back…
Huo Shaoheng entered the room and saw Gu Nianzhi in front of her dressing table, rubbing her back. His eyes lit up, and he walked over to her, hugging her by the waist. “What’s wrong? Your back is aching?”
“You have the nerve to ask me that? Wasn’t it your fault?” Gu Nianzhi turned around and glared at Huo Shaoheng. “My back is about to break.”
Gu Nianzhi’s waist was extremely slender. Huo Shaoheng had measured many times, and each time, it felt like it was as fragile as it looked. However, it was extremely strong when it tensed up when required. It was just like her character. Huo Shaoheng kissed her hair. “I’ll give you a ma.s.sage.”
After ma.s.saging her for a while, a familiar sense of warm fuzziness engulfed Gu Nianzhi again. Laughing, she pushed him off. “I dare not let Mr. Major General give me a ma.s.sage. I’m not that lucky yet.”
“Says who? You’re the luckiest girl ever.” Carrying her up, Huo Shaoheng sat on the stool of Gu Nianzhi’s dressing table and placed her on his lap. “Where’d you want to go today? I’ll accompany you.”
“Really?” Gu Nianzhi turned around, surprised. “The entire day?!”
Looking at his watch, Huo Shaoheng replied, “Twelve hours should be okay.” His time was calculated by hours and minutes. It had always been like that. However, Gu Nianzhi was extremely contented. Kissing him, she said, “Would you go to tutorials with me?”
Huo Shaoheng was taken aback.
“You’re not willing to?” Gu Nianzhi battered her eyelashes at him. Being so close, Huo Shaoheng could almost feel her long lashes brus.h.i.+ng his face. They were so light, like the wings of a b.u.t.terfly.
“You only want me to attend tutorials with you?” Huo Shaoheng asked unbelievably. “It’s really rare that I have so much free time.”
“Yes.” Gu Nianzhi nodded and looked at Huo Shaoheng with puppy eyes. “I always see couples attending tutorials together, and they even help their girlfriends get a good seat. I’m so envious of them and have always wanted my boyfriend to do that with me, too. However, no one attends tutorials with me…”
“Didn’t Mei Xiawen attend tutorials with you in the past?” Huo Shaoheng found a loophole in Gu Nianzhi’s words.
Gu Nianzhi was slightly upset. Raising her hand, she covered his gorgeous eyes and said angrily, “It’s my call to say! Mei Xiawen doesn’t count! She was… she was just a friend!”